


Safer

by FiccyMcGee



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:49:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20469056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiccyMcGee/pseuds/FiccyMcGee
Summary: Seeking comfort, Rose wanders to find the Doctor. The Doctor, seeking comfort, looks for Rose.The TARDIS leads them both... to both.“...As long as I'm around, that is probably the one thing you'll never be...”“What?”“Safe.”





	Safer

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet takes place after the events of the episode "Dalek" concerning the 9th Doctor and Rose Tyler, with mention of Adam.
> 
> (This was originally posted on my Live Journal in 2008. )

Three hours after leaving Van Statten's museum, Adam was already passed out in his newly created room in the TARDIS, but Rose was wide awake and shaking. She had retired to her quarters and laid in bed trying to fall asleep, but to no avail. She was exhausted, but the day's events played over and over in her mind. Every time her eyes closed, she saw that machine, and heard _that voice_. She almost died today. And every time she closed her eyes, she felt like she was about to die all over again.

Rose stood up.

She needed the Doctor. She felt safer with the Doctor. But after a day like today, he was probably trying to sleep as well. Rose considered for a moment what he would think if she came knocking on his door. She tried to think what she would say. How she would explain.

Then she decided it really didn't matter.

The Doctor would never berate her for being frightened. And he would never fault her for needing him.

She put on her robe and a pair of slippers and turned down the hall toward The Doctor's room. Or rather, where she _thought_ The Doctor's room might be. She knew he had one, he had said so. Though he also said he rarely used it. And of course she had never seen it. But something told her this was the proper direction.

Lights lit and dimmed in the corridors as she moved through them. It was unclear whether the TARDIS was guiding her or simply lighting her way as she passed, until the lights darkened ahead of her and brightened suddenly to her right, above what could have simply been a section of wall... if it hadn't been _ajar_.

Rose patted the wall. “Thanks.” She slowly opened the door and peered inside. “Doctor?”

The hall light dimmed and a small night table lamp lit in its place. It was no brighter than a candle, but Rose could see that the tidy red and black bed linens it illuminated, were empty. The Doctor was elsewhere. She should have known. He said he hardly ever slept, and after the events of today, if he wasn't sleeping, he would more than likely be calming his nerves by pulling the wiring out of something in the console room.

She debated going to look for him, but there was a feeling of safety in the warm glow of the bedside lamp. It seemed to beckon her. So she approached.

The room was smaller than she originally thought. Most of it was occupied by the very large canopy-bed she was nearing. _A canopy?_ Rose mused. She hadn't taken the Doctor for the canopy-bed type. Then again, perhaps that was why he rarely used it. The light brightened and Rose could make out circular symbols, much like the ones written on yellow notes all over the TARDIS, carved ornately in the wood of the posts, and all the way across the massive headboard. The wood itself was deep red in color with what looked like thin ribbons of silver in the grain. _Beautiful._ Her finger traced the shimmering patterns on a post until it hit a swatch of black gossamer material hanging down from the canopy.

As soon as her hand hit the fabric, the night table lamp extinguished and small lights became evident overhead. Rose looked up... and saw a galaxy of stars and planets. All moving. The lights and colors danced off the shining woodgrain. Her mouth fell open.

Rose pulled back the covers, climbed up on the bed, and tucked herself in.

She felt safe watching the universe from The Doctor's bed. And she stared up in awe until the celestial light show lulled her to sleep.

\---

The Doctor swore as the sonic screwdriver slipped from his hand and bounced loudly off every metal step of the ladder, landing with an ugly clang on the floor grating two levels below him.

Seventeen-odd wires poked awkwardly out of the wall socket. Mocking him, like pointing fingers.

He closed his eyes and sighed loudly.

Why had he decided to rewire the fourth backup emergency strobe? Oh yes. To take his mind off the fact that they had just faced a _Dalek_ of all things, which killed hundreds of people, Rose almost being one of them, and it would have been _his_ fault. And dangerous alien threats aside, now there was an annoying, useless, pretty boy on board who not only fancied himself a genius, but fancied Rose as well.

The Doctor ran his hands over his face and climbed down the ladder to retrieve his instrument from it's resting place. As he leaned down to pick it up, he banged his head against the first level floor grating and swore again, dropping to a sitting position and rubbing at the growing lump under his short hair.

Why had he brought Adam on board again? Oh yes. Because his Rose as good as asked him to.

_His_ Rose.

His Rose had almost died today...

He shook the thought away again. But it didn't go far. It came back only moments later to torment him. Just as it had been doing for hours. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to talk to Rose. Just to see her and hear her voice. Just to assure him that she was still alive.

The Doctor tucked the sonic screwdriver in the inner pocket of his coat, and left the console room, trying not to think about anything at all. Not the Dalek, not Adam, and certainly not what Rose would think when he showed up in her bedroom just to make sure she was really _alive_.

The hall lights came on ahead of him but as he turned toward Rose's room, the corridor darkened. He looked around. The hall to his immediate left was perfectly lit. He smiled, patting the wall. “You didn't leave her in the hallway, did you?” He turned to his left and continued toward the normally locked and camouflaged door to his room, which, he couldn't help but notice, was slightly ajar.

\---

Under the heavy blankets Rose stirred, feeling the mattress shift slightly. She blinked. The stars overhead had dimmed and stopped moving, but they still cast a soft glow over the room, and in the light she could make out the shape of The Doctor to her left, lying on his back on top of the bedding, still fully dressed in his jacket and his boots. He was staring up at the stars with his hands behind his head.

“Didn't mean to wake you.” He whispered.

“ 'S ok...” Rose sighed and curled onto her left side, facing him. She closed her eyes again, and snuggled around the pillow. “...Didn't mean to invade your room.”

“That's alright. I rarely use it.”

“I don't see why not. It's beautiful.” She shifted again and said through a yawn, “I could sleep in this bed for the rest of my life...”

“You're welcome to.” The Doctor glanced sideways suddenly. He hadn't meant for the words to come out.

Rose yawned again and opened her eyes. “Hm? Sorry. Were you sayin' somethin'?”

He sighed in relief and turned back to the stars. “Nothin' important.”

“M'kay.” she smiled.

After a minute or two, The Doctor hesitantly spoke again. “Rose?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you... alright?”

She blinked in his direction “Yeah. I'm ok now.”

“But you _weren't_?”

“Trouble sleepin'. I was too... I dunno... Shook up? About today, you know?”

He nodded. Because he _did_ know. He _absolutely_ knew. “Why didn't you come find me?”

“I was. Thought you'd be takin' a rest, so I came here. And saw the bed all made up, and the stars were so pretty. Then I just felt... I dunno... _safer_.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. I guess 'cause it's your stuff. Reminds me of you. I feel _safer_ with you.”

The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat, but he swallowed hard and shook his head, “You shouldn't. Today only proves it.” He turned to her. She held his gaze with a slightly sad expression, but said nothing. After a long pause, he continued. “This life... Traveling with me... It's _dangerous_. As long as I'm around, that is probably the one thing you'll _never_ be.”

“What's that?”

“Safe.”

“But I know that,” She whispered. “I didn't say I was always gonna _be_ safe. I said I feel _safer_ when I'm with you...” She saw the lines of worry appear on his forehead. Rose tugged at his elbow until he moved his arm down, resting his hand on the pillow between them. She laced her fingers through his and smiled. “Besides... bein' safe all the time gets pretty boring. 'S why I came on board in the first place. You're lots o' things, Doctor, but you're _not_ boring.”

The Doctor smiled and rolled his eyes, squeezing her hand lightly and shifting onto his right side to face her properly. The worry lines faded and after a small silence, he sighed and asked, “You comfortable?”

“Yeah.” Rose nodded and burrowed further under the blankets. The Doctor yawned and closed his eyes. Rose whispered, a little hesitantly, “But I should prob'ly... I mean, it's your room, an' if you want me to go-”

“No need. Stay here.”

“'Cause really, I can-”

“Stay.”

“But-”

“Rose... we're both tired. You're already comfortable,”

“But I-”

The Doctor squeezed her hand again and opened his eyes onto hers. “I feel _safer_ with you _here_.”

Rose realized for the first time, that he might need her just as much as she needed him. She nodded. “Ok. I'll stay.”

The Doctor pulled her fingers, which were still laced through his, to his lips for small kiss. Then closed his eyes, and did something Rose had never seen him do before... he fell asleep.

Starlight twinkled dimly overhead, light dancing over the now peaceful, and for the first time, slightly _vulnerable_ features of the man in front of her. She pulled herself as close to him as she could, being separated only by the covers she lay under, and he lay above.

“We'll try an' keep _each other_ safe then, yeah?” she whispered. The lights overhead seemed to pulse approvingly before dimming slowly to nothing.

Rose closed her eyes, and drifted into sleep.

* * *


End file.
